A 22-year-old man accused of stealing and burning a 150-year-old Bible from the Palmyra Masonic Temple last year was arraigned Thursday in Lenawee County District Court.

Ronald Morton Huskins II of Blissfield was scheduled for a Nov. 19 hearing on felony counts of breaking and entering and of larceny. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of arson of personal property. He remains free on a personal recognizance bond.

The break-in at the temple on Lenawee Street in Palmyra happened July 20 last year. The only items reported missing were some ceremonial ornaments and a large Bible. It had been used at every meeting of the Palmyra Masons since the temple was chartered Jan. 12, 1866, said temple secretary Eldon Clingaman of Palmyra.

The dollar value of the Bible was estimated at $500 by a dealer that specializes in antique Bibles, said Lenawee County Sheriff Jack Welsh. But it is irreplaceable to the Palmyra Masons at any price.

A recent anonymous tip led a detective to question Huskins, said Welsh.

“He basically admitted to it,” Welsh said.

No explanation was offered to the detective for taking the Bible or for burning it, he said.

Huskins reportedly told the detective it was tossed into an old refrigerator he had stolen and then burned. He told the detective the refrigerator is gone.

“He wouldn’t tell us any information on where that might have happened,” Welsh said.

“It’s crazy, especially for no particular reason to steal it and just burn it. Maybe they should have read it first,” Welsh said.

The investigation is continuing.

An appeal for the return of the Bible was made after the break-in and theft last year. Clingaman said then it appeared the break-in was the work of youths, but he did not understand what use they might have for the historic Bible. He said it was used at every monthly meeting and special ceremony since 1866. He said he believed it was printed in 1859.

Huskins was identified as a Palmyra resident earlier this year when he was charged in a break-in of a recycling center on U.S. 223 in Palmyra. He pleaded guilty to taking part in stealing a barrel of scrap metal. He was placed on probation at his sentencing on Oct. 3.